


Last Lesson

by Asdrator



Category: Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu | Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Light Angst, Philosophy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:08:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28303590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asdrator/pseuds/Asdrator
Summary: The night before Yang Wenli’s final day, he teaches Julian another important lesson about oppression.
Relationships: Julian Mintz & Yang Wenli
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Last Lesson

**Author's Note:**

  * For [glory_of_bygone_days](https://archiveofourown.org/users/glory_of_bygone_days/gifts).



“Have you ever heard of a man named Jean-Paul Marat, Julian?”

Yang sat at a table in his quarters, as Julian brought him tea.

“Hm?” Julian blinked, both surprised and confused by the question. He set the pot down on the table and a filled cup in front of Yang. “No, I can’t say I have. Why do you ask?”

“He was considered a great thinker born in a time long past on Terra.” Taking a sip of the tea and smiling, satisfied with the flavor, Yang did not await a response from Julian. “Today, of course, he is quite obscure, unknown to all but the most dedicated historians.”

“And that means you, is what you’re saying?” Julian joked. Yang grinned shamelessly, and they both laughed.

“No, not quite. The reason I mentioned him at all is because he had some wisdom that I think you, as much as anyone, deserve to hear.” Yang looked Julian in the eyes, his expression growing serious. “Once, Marat said: ‘Man has the right to deal with his oppressors by devouring their palpitating hearts.’” A silence fell between the two of them. After staring into his tea for a few moments, Yang continued. “Julian, what do you think that means?”

“Hmm…” Though he never had an opportunity to admit it, Julian loved these questions from Yang. They made him think, made him question what he believed and thereby made his beliefs stronger. It was just another gift he had reason to be thankful to Yang for. “What he’s trying to say… is it that people have a right to take revenge on those who wield the authority of state power to oppress and ruin them, for no individual violence can match the destruction brought by tyrants?”

Snapping his fingers, Yang nodded, looking at Julian proudly. “Exactly right! You’re a fast learner, Julian. Well done.” Julian ran a hand through his hair and smiled awkwardly. He never had been good at accepting compliments, but it always felt nice to receive one when it was deserved. “Now, what do you think about that? Should revenge really go as far as ‘devouring their palpitating hearts’, so to speak?”

“I think…” Julian shook his head, as though to clear his mind before he finished his thought. “I think there should not be some vague and unrestricted revenge for oppression, but instead a rational and fair justice. With the former, no matter how free the people are supposed to have become, they will turn on each other out of fear and mistrust, inevitably leading to the return of oppression. With the latter, people are shown the consequences of being pulled into tyranny without being pushed into it by terror. Without the freedom to live without fear, there is no freedom at all.”

Finishing his tea just as Julian finished speaking, Yang set his cup down, stood up, and brought Julian into a hug with a warm smile. “That’s the correct answer, and you reached it on your own terms. I’m so, so proud of you.”

After some initial hesitation, Julian smiled as well, happy to have impressed the man he considered as his own father, and returned the hug. When at last they broke apart, Yang ruffled Julian’s hair with a grin. “One of these days, you’re going to become an even better strategist than I. Keep living and learning, and you’ll surpass me in no time.

At that Julian merely rolled his eyes. “You can’t be serious. You always say that, but you’re simply a genius, you know?”

For a moment, Yang seemed to regard him oddly. “There’s no such thing as simple genius, Julian. All things worth doing involve hard work, no matter who does them. Don’t forget that, or you’ll lose yourself.”

Shortly after, Yang dismissed Julian, and the boy left for his own quarters, head as full of thoughts as it always was after a conversation with the admiral.

Though he didn’t know at the time, couldn’t have known, that would be one of the last conversations he would ever have with Yang. With his father, with the man he aspired to be the equal of. Yang was all of these things, and the next day he would be none.

For tomorrow the Terraists would come, and Yang would no longer escape their evils.


End file.
